400 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
general) one half its bulk, there is still another 
process to be gone into, much more expensive, at 
all times, than the first, and generally doubling that 
amount. All these plates must be coloured by 
skilful hands, not indeed in a wholesale way (for 
such an expense would be an insuperable obstacle to 
bringing out such publications), but as they are 
wanted for immediate sale. The expense of the 
work, since it quitted the hands of the printer, is 
thus increased threefold, and the author of such a 
work is consequently subject to a tax three times 
greater than if his book merely consisted of letter- 
press. Did the generality of illustrative works give 
any profit to their publishers, or even remunerate 
them for their first expenses, there would not be so 
much reason for complaint ; but those who have un- 
fortunately made the experiment, with the hope of 
benefiting science, if they are not absolute losers 
thereby, know by experience that in nine instances 
out of ten such publications, however admirable may 
be their execution, are sure to entail pecuniary loss 
upon their projectors.- A recent case, strongly il- 
lustrating the present argument, has come to our 
personal knowledge, of a zoological publication, where 
the copies which might be claimed by public li- 
braries were eleven, and the subscribers to the work 
were twelve, so that the author was subject to the 
expense of colouring eleven copies over and above 
the twelve which were sold,—an expense, be it re- 
membered, which there would have been no necessity 
of incurring, except from the enforcement of the 
copyright laws. The sale of only twelve copies of 
each number would have done something to diminish 
